Magika [Completed]

Chapter 16

He sleeps so fitfully.

Kitaya watched Aldeheid toss in his tent, mumbling unintelligibly in his sleep. She wondered what demons were haunting him. All those capes he'd killed perhaps. Indeed, this angel-eyed fool was quite the peculiar fellow. It was hard to tell if he was a moron, a lost soul or a broken man.

All of the above?

He reminded her so much of herself, back in her formative years, under Kemah's tutelage. When she didn't know what she wanted, or where to go, or who to ask. She used to act rashly back then, to her own, and sometimes others' detriment.

Perhaps this trip was what he needed, but Kitaya had yet to decide if it was worth it to bring him along. Sure, she was curious about him, his wanton spellcasting and morbid history with capes. But curiosity wouldn't keep her interested forever, and he had yet to show her any redeeming qualities.

There had to be something... Something she had yet to see. Mellidius wouldn't have taken him under his wing otherwise. It was surprising enough that that old fool would take on any apprentice. Much less this guy.

Then again, it had been a while since she'd seen him or any of her family. And Shara was dead. It made her wonder what else had changed, who else was gone.

Kitaya eyed her tent from her perch atop the box and yawned. A night under the stars looked much more appealing and the box was big enough for her to sleep comfortably on. She stretched out on her back with knees propped in the air and hands behind her head.

An abundance of stars smiled down at her from the moonless sky, framed by the large-leafed trees that stretched towards them. All was quiet save for the occasional chirp of an insect or the call of a nocturnal bird.

And Aldeheid's incessant tossing.

Kitaya sat up and eyed him through the flap of his tent. He was curled up with his knees to his chest, one hand fumbling with his earring. He'd probably hurt himself if he kept flopping around like a freshly caught fish.

She hopped off the box and popped its lid. Amidst the junk and clutter inside, there had to be something that could help him. She dug deep,  almost to its bottom before finding what she needed – a jar of dried herbs. The glass was stained yellow, and the stopper fell apart when she pulled it free, but hopefully, the contents were still fine.

She poured the pungent herbs into her palm, their medicinal scent burning her nostrils. Then crossed their campsite to Aldeheid's tent.

He was rubbing at his cheek and grumbling nonsense, his brow furrowed. He rolled her way, flinging his arm out and smacking her in the face. It took everything within her not to punt him into the night.

Kitaya rubbed the herbs between her palms and searched her brain for those old Konian words she'd learnt as a child. She had been away from her home for two long. Such things used to be second nature, and as effortless as breathing.

As the words finally came to her, she stopped herself. Why am I attending to this idiot? She could've easily gone into her tent, closed it up, throw an arm over her head and block out his noise. Yet she'd chosen this route instead – to use soothing herbs so he may sleep more soundly. Maybe because he always looked so sorry.

Kitaya sighed. She'd already come this far, may as well go through with it. As the words of her native tongue spilled from her lips, the herbs ignited with blue flames. She placed one hand over his heart and the other over his stomach, making clockwise circles as she continued to chant.

Eventually his heart rate became less frantic and his muscles relaxed. Kitaya shook her hands and the flames dissipated. 

Peace at last. She crossed back to the box and stretched out atop it. Sleep had become a foreign concept to her, as she didn't remember the last time she'd done it.